Loading
Advice in how to clear a ridge
Habitat Improvement
Messages posted to thread:
Mountaineer 27-Dec-16
Teeton 27-Dec-16
Bob H in NH 28-Dec-16
Mountaineer 28-Dec-16
Iowa_Archer 28-Dec-16


Date:27-Dec-16

I am going to clear a nearly 1 acre area on the north end of my property's central ridge to open up an area by my sanctuary and start a small food plot. It is about a 20 year stand - a few hardwoods in the 20- 25" class and lots of younger trees.

Any & all advice on the best way to do that is appreciated.

Thank you

By: Teeton
Date:27-Dec-16

I done this many of times. For me it was done in the winter, no leaves. We cut the trees down with chain saws. built fires and burnt the trees. We would have 3 or 4 fires doing at once so the guys didnt have to carry the trees far. Then dozed the stumps out. leveled the ground, soil tested. Last one was about and acre. Put down 5 tons of lime in spring, 500 lbs of 2-10-40 with borx . Planted my mix of clover/chicory with oats as cover crop. I grew great even though I didn't wait for the lime to work. Following spring did a soil test, the ph was 6.3 from I think 5.4. this was from what was oak trees.

Date:28-Dec-16

Why not sell the wood? Ask a logging/firewood/lumber company what they'd pay to take it away

Date:28-Dec-16

Great insight and advice from you both & pretty much what I was thinking. Unbelievable pH change!!

Thank you very much!!

Date:28-Dec-16

I too have created a few "in timber" food plots where I needed to remove various trees. The man that does my bulldozer work strongly prefers that I NOT cut the trees down prior to him cleaning up the stumps. It is far easier to use his blade and hit the tree about 5' up on the trunk and use the weight of the tree above to carry it on over.

He then will push the largely intact trees off into a pile where you cut can them up for firewood, etc. If your trees are of a small diameter, then it probably doesn't matter too much one way or the other. Big trees though...talk to your dozer guy ahead of time and get his opinion before firing up the chainsaw, he may want you to let him take them out.

I also agree with the advice on soil testing and getting your PH in a good zone. You will almost undoubtedly need to add lime, and plenty of it, to get this squared away. Also...think hard about thinning trees that are adjacent to the area that you clear off. You will need sunlight into the plot to really be happy with your results. A scoured out "hole" in the woods that is ringed with big trees will still be problematic to getting a good outcome.


Bowsite.com DeerBuilder on FacebookYouTube Channel Contact DeerBuilder
Registration
Facebook Page
YouTube Channel
Advertise
Bowsite.com
Copyright © 2012 Bowsite.com. No duplication without prior consent.